Media critic Eric Boehlert, who created the Press Run website and wrote for Rolling Stone and Media Matters for America, was killed in a bicycle accident. He was 57.
An avid bike rider, Boehlert was struck by a commuter train while riding near his home in Montclair, New Jersey, on Monday night, according to journalist Soledad O’Brien, a family friend.
He specialized in exposing disinformation and holding fellow journalists and politicians accountable, said O’Brien, host of the syndicated Sunday talk show Matter of Fact, on Wednesday. “He was dogged about facts and a defender of truth,” she said.
On Wednesday, Hillary Clinton called Boehlert’s death “terrible news” on Twitter. “I’m devastated for his family and friends and will miss his critical work to counteract misinformation and media bias,” she wrote. “What a loss.”
He also wrote for Salon and Billboard and was the author of the books Lapdogs: How the Press Rolled Over for Bush and Bloggers on the Bus: How the Internet Changed Politics and the Press.
Boehlert is survived by his wife and two children.
